Richard Upton

As founder and president of UPTONGROUP, Dick works directly with clients to
enhance the productivity and efficiency of their marketing programs. By integrating
new digital technologies with traditional brand-strategy disciplines, UPTONGROUP
and its affiliate partner companies design innovative business development solutions that
consistently outperform existing client programs. An expert in the emerging discipline
of Cross-platform Communications Management, Dick is the creator of the proprietary
Liaison Marketing™ and Predictive Performance Planning™ business development processes. He continues to present
UPTONGROUP's strategic business approach to a variety of national and international
audiences.

As a 23-year veteran of the advertising agency business and former advertising agency
managing director, Dick has developed a national reputation in the broad professional
services categories of healthcare, law, and insurance. With an emphasis on strategic visioning, mass communications, corporate identity and new business development, he founded UPTONGROUP in 1999.

Following the successful rollout of two national award-winning marketing campaigns
as CMO and National Director of Marketing and Business Development for two of
the nation's largest law firms, Dick returned full-time to the entrepreneurial world of
consulting in mid-2002 at the helm of UPTONGROUP.

Having begun his marketing career with the Australian advertising agency U.S.P.
Benson, PTY, Ltd., Dick has held management positions with leading advertising
agencies such as The Martin Agency, Cramer-Krasselt Co., and BBDS Advertising.
While with these firms, he served as management lead for
such companies and divisions as Wausau Insurance Companies, S2 Corporation,
AT&T, Wisconsin Bell, The Timberland Company, Yellow Pages Publishers
Association, Aurora Health Care and Columbia/ HCA Healthcare Corporation.

A nationally published author on the value of branding in the healthcare, insurance and
legal professions, Dick has also developed several proprietary marketing and business
development programs.

what they say

Dick is a consummate business professional in every way. But what really makes him exceptional is his passion and pride for what he does. Dick is the kind of person people just gravitate to and want to follow because he walks his talk. Dick represents what is increasingly rare in business: a man with an entrepreneurial spirit and uncompromising values. For that I recommend and commend him, without reservation. Earl Cox
Partner/Chief Strategy Officer
THE MARTIN AGENCY

Dick has the un-canny ability to see what the client will need before the client recognizes what they require. He has shown this over and over again. His ability to envision strategic objectives and provide a clear framework for achieving their goals sets Dick apart from those that are just able to propose theory. He keeps on top of emerging trends and has practical approaches to optimizing them throughout the organization.Jeff LeRose
CEO, Chairman
Research Triangle Software Inc.

After a national search, we retained Dick Upton and UPTONGROUP in the Fall of 2006 to lead our Marketing Paradigm Shift Initiative. The initial written plan contained detailed milestones with an end goal of flipping the switch” on our new Marketing Platform on January 1, 2009. Despite having numerous additional projects added to the original plan and our lawyers’ natural skepticism and resistance to change, Dick achieved every milestone early and under budget. More importantly, Dick’s ideas transformed our organization from an internally focused, market-around-your-organization enterprise to an externally focused, organize-around-your-market enterprise. As a result, we quickly experienced dramatic, tangible results and growth, even during the economic crisis. Dick is a courageous, positive, passionate and forward looking force. His sole constituency is the enterprise and its future. Thank goodness for Dick Upton.Gary D. LeClair
Chairman
LeClairRyan

Dick has demonstrated the ability to envision and create strategic objectives that have been 'outside the box' but entirely on target with emerging trends -- before most even recognized the developing trends. Being ahead of the curve, Dick also creates pathways toward achieving objectives and thought leadership of extreme sustainable value.Darrell Ohlhauser
Former Executive Director & COO
Foley & Lardner LLP

Among the varied professions and industries Dick serves, he combines a particularly intimate knowledge of the unique nature of law firms with business and creative methodologies that have served the most successful companies. His clients appreciate that he customizes and creates these solutions to fit their firms like a glove.Gerry Riskin, B. Com, LLB, P. Admin
Founder EDGE International
Author of best seller The Successful Lawyer, a Fellow of The College of Law in London and a Visiting Professor at the University or Pretoria in South Africa.

Anybody can ask the easy questions, and in the law profession, we're pretty good at asking the hard questions. Dick asks questions we had never conceived of. While he has certainly "been there and done that" to an impressive degree, his approach is always new, always fresh and always illuminating. His commitment and contributions to the success of our enterprise and the people who comprise it have been transformative.James P. Guy
Attorney at Law
Energy Industry Team Leader
LeClairRyan

It's always interesting to see what Dick's research and analysis into a client's business might reveal. Always smart, always intuitive, always on the mark. His ability to think big and into the future offers insight critical to a strategic plan. Dick understands how to guide a creative team as they interpret a strategy into smart creative solutions. Barbara Fultz
Adjunct Faculty, Virginia Commonwealth University
Robertson School of Media & Culture

Dick has the unique ability to ferret through the current malaise of verbal and visual stimuli and envision how and what a company should look, feel, and act like five years into their future. Along with those attributes, comes the knowledge, understanding and expertise of what the highway looks like in getting from point A to point B.John Dolby
Former Founding Partner
Director of Creative Services
BBDS Advertising

Dick Upton was engaged by our Firm to guide our Marketing Paradigm Shift, but quickly became an invaluable member of our Firm's executive management team. His insights and leadership brought about a positive, revolutionary change to our organization - that was made to feel evolutionary because of his seasoned skill. Dick provided us with a 20,000-foot perspective on the legal industry, our clients' industries and our organization - and then artfully drilled down to examine the intricacies of our Firm's group structure to provide clear guidance on how we could become an externally focused, client-driven organization. Dick repeatedly demonstrated that he has the rare ability to both create the blue print for establishing clear objectives while also providing step-by-step guidance to ensure seamless execution.Lori D. Thompson
Attorney at Law
Former Business Development Officer
LeClairRyan

Dick Upton is a creative visionary who thoroughly understands the tactical marketing process and makes it work within an innovative strategic framework. Even more impressive is the way that his project management guidance never loses sight of the big picture objectives that he develops and pursues right from the start. Whatever the task, Dick knows what needs to be done, explains clearly why it should be done, and is an effective team leader in getting it done.John Toth
Consultant - Writing, Editing and Research Services
Former Director of Creative Services - Foley & Lardner